Recipes for success. Here’s the thing: we don’t just like to eat, we are food enthusiasts. Good food — preparing it, sharing it and eating it — is one of life’s primary pleasures, and we’re just not willing to go on a pleasure-fast for the many months it will take us to reach our healthy weights.

It’s a commitment to cooking — and the variety and quality it brings — that makes it possible for us to stay “on program” for the long term. We also:

• Share dinner-cooking duties throughout the week. [That means that, 3 days a week, I have a beautiful “on program” dinner made for me by Laurie — one of my favorite cooks!]

• We are careful to build variety into our weekly plans. [I mean, how many broiled skinless chicken breasts can a foodie girl eat?]

• Like any good cooks, we make an effort to take advantage of what’s fresh and in season at the market.

So, we are constantly on the lookout for recipes and ingredients that are delicious, healthful and fit into our 1200-calorie day. Often, we adjust existing recipes to suit our tastes or use a recipe as an inspiration for something completely new. When we can, we link you to recipes we’re using, as we do for the squash casserole this sample meal plan.

But, sometimes we create something for ourselves. When we get the recipe fine-tuned, get the serving size, calorie- and nutrient-count estimates down and write the step-by-step instructions, we’ll post our recipes here. Some will be simple things, others more elaborate. There are just a few entries now, but many more to come.

Click here for a list is a list of currently posted recipes developed by Laurie and Kate for use on our 1200-calorie-a-day program. Enjoy! — KC